Shahid-Shraddha leave for Kashmir to shoot Haider

Vishal Bhardwaj left for Kashmir on Wednesday to shoot Haider, the desi Bollywood adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor who play the desi Hamlet and Ophelia are expected to arrive in Kashmir later this week. Haider would be shot in two schedules in Kashmir, one over this winter and the next during summer 2014.

Says a source close to the project, "Haider will have two looks. Kashmir in winter and Kashmir in summer. Shahid will play Hamlet in a modern Kashmiri context with the unrest in the Valley forming a backdrop. And yes, Kashmir would be prominently featured and named in the film."

This, after the J &K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's misgivings that Kashmir would once again be misrepresented in a Bollywood film. Ayan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani which was partially shot in Kashmir demurred in naming Kashmir and passed it off as Manali.

Says a source close to the project, "The script clearly named Kashmir as the place that Ranbir, Deepika, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Kalki visit in the course of the plot's journey. Being a Karan Johar production there was no problem in getting the necessary permission. Omar Abdullah played host to Ayan, Ranbir and Deepika. However when the film was released Kashmir was passed off as Manali."

Vishal however, has no problems, in owning up to Kashmir as the land of his plot. Says a source close to his project, "Vishal is very comfortable in Kashmir. In fact he shot one major chunk of 7 Khoon Maaf in Kashmir. Haider will be the first Hindi film since Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Mission: Kashmir to be shot entirely in the Valley."